STUART AND KERRI ARE THE INVERNESS CLUB CHAMPIONS

BY ROBIN WILSON

This season's Inverness Golf Club championships climaxed last Saturday when Kerri Harper and Stuart Connell proved themselves the best golfers of 2012 on the Culcabock course.

Women's champion Kerri Harper is no stranger  to the women’s title,  her last  triumph was  in 2009,  but after taking a break from competitive play she came back this year to claim her fifth title with a comfortable result in the final against June Nicol. Harper beat Alison Gowie at the semi final stage and in her semi final Nicol punched above her weight to defeat  former champion Marion Howieson on the final green.

In his last year as a teenager Stuart Connell (21) lost the men's 2009 final but this year with impressive results against the Inverness County champion, John Forbes, and Club Secretary Ewan Forbes Connell was into his second final and immediately impressed the small gallery from the first tee by finding the green 308 yards away for an opening winning birdie against the twice former champion Bruce Thomson.

Thomson, who had claimed his first North District title on the same course last month, took a long route to the final requiring all 18 holes to beat David Joel in the quarters and Graeme Daun in the semis and after losing the first hole was soon two behind after a bogey at the par three second hole.

The District Champion's experience saw him fight back to finish the first eighteen holes one in front but he did not expect the onslaught from Connell in the rain delayed second round. His opponent again birdied the first hole then won four holes in succession from the 5^th to the 8^th, the fifth with birdie and the 6^th with par after Thomson found the water hazard guarding this green.

Connell shrugged off losing the 9^th and 10^th holes to birdies by winning back the 11^th hole then with the impetus of sharing the 12^th hole in birdie threes claimed his first well deserved title two holes later with a 5 and  4 result. 
Robin Wilson picture of the men's finalists shows Bruce Thomson on the left and Stuart Connell on the right.
Robin's picture from the women's final is on www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk

Three other finals were played out in the afternoon, Sandra Campbell won the ladies handicap final beating Hazel MacNeil by 5 and 4 and Ian Ross the men's handicap winner with a 2 and 1 win over Ben Anderson. The club junior champion is Rory MacPherson who met Ross Lyle in the final and won by 4&3.